A Coaching Power Tool By Bastian Harth, Students & Young professionals Coach, GERMANY
Take a Leap of Faith: Stuck vs. Leap
The reason why I chose this power tool is that it is personal. When I was a teenager, I used to play video games and sit in front of the computer the whole time. I would come home from school and start playing. At that time, I lived with my father as my parents were divorced. Since I grew up in a little village, I knew that I follow the same path as many of the people around me: finish school and do an apprenticeship. Going to university was uncommon. However, this changed when my father passed away. While it was a tremendously difficult time for my family and me, it was a life-changing event – quite literally and positively speaking. I realized that I am only wasting time with computer games instead of making something out of my life. I thus slowly began to take my life into my hands. First, it was partially because I wanted to fill a void. However, over the years, it has also become a realization. The realization of living a life without regrets.
Regret & How I Got the Idea for My Power Tool
Many people feel regret at the end of their lives. They may regret not spending more time with their families, not following their dreams, or not taking enough risks. They would like to go back in time, relive their life, and focus on the things that they have somewhat neglected. And while many of us are aware of such stories and would want to live unregretfully, few follow such a path.
Many have marveled over my decision to quit my job, sell all my things, and move to Central America to work on a coffee farm. Many said that they would never be able to do it even though they would have wanted to do something similar. And while I realize that it was much easier for me than for others – as I did not have, for instance, family commitments – I honestly believe that there is always an opportunity and a time in life to do the same; no matter what age, what commitments or responsibilities we have. Why? Because often it is not only because of systematic or family limitations. Deep down usually are underlying (self-)limiting beliefs that hold us back. They are the ones that make us focus solely on the potential negative consequences and blind us to all the possibilities. Ultimately, they lead us to a feeling of overwhelming fear and anxiety that makes us feel stuck. I thus wanted to create a powerful tool that helps people in these situations so that they can become unstuck and take a leap of faith. Therefore, I decided to call my power tool “stuck vs. leap”.
By using this coaching tool, your clients learn to trust themselves and their ability to succeed. They can learn to act, even when they are afraid, and to see the positive results that come from it. They can finally break free from the chains of fear and anxiety and start living the life they want. This power tool helps those people to get unstuck. It does so by helping these people to turn their fear and anxiety into trust and action. It can help them to see that failing is not the end of the world and that learning from their mistakes is a valuable experience. It also helps them to set realistic goals and to develop a plan of action to achieve them.
Definition of Stuck vs. Leap
The Definition of “Stuck”
When looking into a dictionary or googling the term, feeling stuck is defined as having an aching feeling that you need to do something but instead, you feel like you are chained to where you are. Nothing feels available, possible, or good enough to get you from this location. Either there are overwhelming hurdles and challenges, or you feel like there is no option at all. Thus, since it is either overwhelming or pointless, you remain still. And who is to blame? There are other responsibilities like family or one’s career that need to be taken care of. However, for many, the emotions or the urge become too much. They want to do something and thus, they are looking for external help, like a coach. To allow them to leap and thus, to become unstuck takes time and effort.
The Definition of a “Leap”(of Faith)
The flip side of this paralysis or feeling of being stuck is what I call a leap. Leaping comes from taking a leap of faith. Leaping into the unknown is a leap of faith. When we take a leap of faith, we are opening ourselves up to new possibilities. A leap helps us to get to the next level, the next step of the staircase that leads to our goals and dreams. It is the moment when you feel as if you are floating in the air, knowing that you will land somewhere even if it is where you were before.
It is a necessary jump or step forward without thinking too much about the potential risks or consequences. It is thus not only a way forward but also a way up.
A leap is about having faith in the future and oneself – maybe even in having faith in God providing you with a path if you are religious. You may also trust that the universe will support you in your endeavors. This can be a very powerful thing as we can let go of our need for control and allow ourselves to be open to new possibilities. When we take a chance and go for what we want in life, we often find that the universe comes through for us. It can be compared to the mindset of: “If you work for it, usually things will go your way” …sometimes in the most bizarre way.
Ultimately, taking a leap of faith is a way of living our lives with passion and purpose. It’s a way of saying “yes” to life and embracing change. It’s a way of going for what we want, despite our fear, and knowing that we can handle whatever comes our way. It is a way of stepping into the unknown and discovering all that life has to offer us.
Disclaimer
When coaching someone through a situation where they are feeling afraid or anxious, or “stuck” so to speak, it is important to help them to focus on the things that they can control and trust themselves enough to take action. The coaching process can provide a person with the tools and support necessary for overcoming their fear and moving forward with their lives.
When it comes to taking a leap of faith, it is important to remember that it is okay to be afraid. Fear is a natural response to change or uncertainty, and it can help motivate us to take action. However, if we allow our fear to keep us from taking chances or from pursuing our dreams, then we will never experience the joy and satisfaction that come from achieving them.
The key is to learn how to balance our fear with our trust. We need to trust ourselves enough to take risks, but we also need to be aware of our fear and what it is telling us. When we can do this, we can move forward with confidence and achieve great things.
How to Use This Stuck vs. Leap Power Tool
First, clients need to understand what their fear and anxiety are and how they are holding them back. Many people try to ignore their fear and anxiety, but it is important to acknowledge what they are feeling. Trying to push these feelings away will only make them worse. Recognizing that emotions do not need to control them is powerful. To do so, one needs to take a step back and assess the root causes of the fear or anxiety; or both. Asking questions that lead the client to understand why they are feeling this way, and what is causing their fear or anxiety should be the first step as this can help them to better address the issue at hand. In this phase, a coach needs to listen for the emotional words that the client uses. Identifying them and asking them what they exactly mean allows clients to better understand them as well. Often, it also makes sense to reflect on what they have said back to them and if that stood in contrast to what they would recommend or say to a friend or family member. Simply asking them if something is true should also make them realize that it is not as true as they might have first imagined.
Once they have better understood the source of their fear and anxiety, it is time to turn them into trust and action. In this phase, it is beneficial for you and the client to better understand what their core motivation is to take a leap of faith. This should allow the client to a.) become more motivated b.) be goal-driven and c.) see a path toward this goal. From there, you can guide them through taking concrete and achievable steps that allow them to turn their motivation also into trusting themselves.
This will be tricky as the fear and anxiety will potentially hold them back. Since the client should have already acknowledged how they feel and thus, be aware of how and why they feel that way, you can share some tools with them on how they can feel and embrace these emotions with ease. This can be done by asking more questions that focus on what they need or what would help them. It can also be through meditation, exercise, or something else that they can do by themselves to keep their mind distracted and balanced.
Trust your clients to also find their own way because they are the ones that need to find trust in themselves and the decisions that they take. Sometimes it helps to let them look at past decisions that initially seemed like a bad idea but turned out to be great; reflecting on all the important decisions they have taken and how they have positively impacted their lives: You have probably taken even more decisions that positively impacted your life because otherwise, you would not be here.
Final Words
I have personally struggled with this. I’m relatively inexperienced as I am only 29 when writing this. I believe that this power tool works even though it might be naïve at times. Still, I hope that it serves as a foundation for you, the reader, and my coaching career. Finding my niche has also been tough given that I only have three years of work experience with multiple things that I joggle. I’m still figuring out how to focus and prioritize things in my life. Still, it has served me in several coaching sessions, and I am sure that it will serve us throughout our coaching journey. Enjoy and all the best in helping your clients take a leap of faith.